Abdelmoniem Raham

SudaneseOnline: سودانيزاونلاين

URGENT ACTION

SUDANESE ACTIVIST AND POET TORTURED

On 2 September, Sudanese activist and poet, Abdelmoniem Raham, was arrested in Ed Damazin, Blue Nile state, Sudan. He is being detained by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and has reportedly been tortured. 

After Abdelmoniem Raham was arrested on 2 September, he was seen in custody of the NISS in Ed Damazin. He was said to have been tortured. He is at risk of further torture and other ill treatment.  

Abdelmoniem Raham is actively involved in Sudanese politics and the arts. In 2010, he was appointed as a government advisor for cultural affairs in Blue Nile, and is a co-founder and administrative director of Ajrass Alhurriya (Bells of Freedom) newspaper in Sudan. The newspaper was shut down by the authorities on 8 July 2011. 

Abdelmoniem Raham was also an active member of the Sudanese Writers Union during the 1980s and chairperson of Sudana, an organization promoting art and literature of marginalized groups in Sudan. Between 2003 and 2005, he was the head of the Arabic section of the Sudan Radio Services network, in Nairobi, Kenya. 

On 1 September fighting broke out in Blue Nile, Sudan, bordering South Sudan, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan Peopleís Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N). On 2 September, Sudanese President al-Bashir declared a state of emergency in Blue Nile and appointed a military governor to the state. The fighting is linked to ongoing conflict in Southern Kordofan, where over 150,000 people have been displaced. 

Please write immediately in English, Arabic or your own language:

* Call on the authorities to release Abdelmoniem Raham or charge him with a recognizable criminal offence;

* Call on the authorities to grant Abdelmoniem Raham immediate access to his family, lawyers, and to any medical treatment he might require following allegations of torture; 

* Urge the authorities to ensure that Abdelmoniem Raham is not subjected to further torture or other ill-treatment;

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 31 OCTOBER 2011 TO:

Minister of Justice

Mr Mohammed Bushara Dousa

Ministry of Justice, PO Box 302

Al Nil Avenue

Khartoum, Sudan

Fax: +249 183 764 168

Email: moj@moj.gov.sd  

Salutation: Your Excellency

Minister of Interior

Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Hamed

Ministry of Interior

PO Box 873

Khartoum, Sudan

Salutation: Your Excellency

And copies to:

President

HE Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir

Office of the President

Peopleís Palace PO Box 281

Khartoum, Sudan

Fax: +249 183 782 541

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:

Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. 

URGENT ACTION

SUDANESE ACTIVIST AND POET TORTURED

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The fighting in Blue Nile state follows tensions between Sudanís ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the southern Sudan Peopleís Liberation Movement (SPLM) over security arrangements in the border areas prior to South Sudanís independence on 9 July 2011. Following South Sudanís independence, the SPLM-North, which was previously part of the southern SPLM, was formed in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.  

On 5 June 2011, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) broke out in Kadugli, the capital of Southern Kordofan, and surrounding areas. Indiscriminate bombings by SAF and ongoing ground attacks by both SAF and SPLA-N have resulted in over 200,000 people displaced in Southern Kordofan alone. Furthermore, Amnesty International received reports of extra-judicial executions and arrests of people affiliated with SPLM-North in Kadugli town. 

The number of people displaced or otherwise affected by the recent fighting in Blue Nile is not yet known, because independent observers and aid workers have been prevented from entering the region. 

Name: Abdelmoniem Raham

Gender m/f: male

UA: 279/11 Index: AFR 54/029/2011 Issue Date: 19 September 2011

Date: 14 January 2011

UA: 279/11 Index: AFR 54/029/2011 Sudan Date: 19 September 2011

UA: XXXXXXXXXXXXX Index: XXXXXXXX  <Country> Date: 14 January 2011

=